Anthropology Summer Academic Programs and Opportunities

Anthropology Summer Academic Programs and Opportunities

Anthropology Camp for Children

BU students teach and learn through an innovative program developed using land owned by the town of Bloomsburg and equipment and facilities provided by Bloomsburg University and Quest.

The purpose of the program is to involve college students in the preparation, planning, and execution of an archaeological and anthropological learning program for children by showing them how to do archaeological fieldwork, cultural resource management, and anthropological analysis.

The children also enjoy outdoor adventures, combining outdoor adventure with archaeology, during this annual Anthropology Camp with Quest. Over the years hundreds of historic and prehistoric artifacts have been recovered including pottery, glass, metal tools, lithic cores, arrowheads (lithic biface tools), sinkers, grinding tools, features and stone flakes left from archaic people making tools thousands of years ago.

Support for this program has come from multiple offices including the COLA dean, the anthropology dept. the Quest office, URSCA grant funding, the Town of Bloomsburg, and Town Administrator William Lowthert, private land owners, and a grant from the Presidential Strategic Planning intended to support key initiatives in the Bloomsburg University Strategic Plan, Impact 2015.

The anthropology department encourages students to acquire hands-on experience, and internships are an excellent vehicle to gain this experience. Each faculty member in the department can be approached to create and facilitate internships that are appropriate for students' interests and needs.

Past internships of anthropology majors include ones with:

New Jersey State Museum

Saint Barnabas Healthcare System in West Orange, N.J.

Police Department of the Town of Bloomsburg

Northwestern Academy - Northwestern Human Services

Pinebrook Services for Children and Youth

Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit's Migrant Education Program

Summer Field School in Archaeology

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of BU students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site.

The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

Field Schools and Student Opportunities

Climate and Culture Change in the Andes: Winter Session — The Center for Social Well Being is now approaching its 11th year offering our 3 week training program in interdisciplinary qualitative field methods, as well as Spanish and Quechua language classes, in the Peruvian Andes. The combined undergraduate and graduate level seminar is held at the center's rural base, an adobe lodge on an ecological ranch in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the CallejÃ³n de Huaylas, 7 hours northeast of Lima. Coursework provides in-depth orientation to theory and practice in field investigation that emphasizes methods in Participatory Action Research and Andean Ethnography centered on themes of Climate Change with respect to Ecology, Health, Education, Community Organization and related topics. Students have the opportunity to actively engage in ongoing investigations in local agricultural communities to develop effective field research techniques, and to acquire language skills. In addition, the program provides excursions to museums, archaeological sites, glacial lakes and hotsprings; optional recreational activities include hiking, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, rock climbing and trekking. Total cost is $3,200 US dollars. This includes all in-country travel, food and accommodations at the rural center, and course materials. The program is under the direction of Applied Medical Anthropologist, Patricia J. Hammer, Ph.D., and Ecologist, Flor de MarÃ­a Barreto Tosi.

Balkan Heritage (BH) Field School has just opened the application session for eight projects (in 2012) in the following areas: Archaeology, Art History, Restoration and Conservation of Artifacts, Monuments and Christian Art and Culture. Thank to the partnership with New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria 6 academic credits (for two-week projects) and 9 academic credits (for four-week projects) will be granted upon request to students who attend to these projects. Affiliated partner institutions/organizations: New Bulgarian University, Blagoevgrad Regional Museum of History, Archaeological Museum of Sozopol (Bulgaria), Fulbright Commission (USA/ Bulgaria); Youth Cultural Center - Bitola, National Institute of Stobi, National Institute and Museum - Bitola (Macedonia), Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Nanterre (France).

Balkan Heritage (BH) Field School (est. 2003) functions as a legal part of Balkan Heritage Foundation â€“ a Bulgarian public, non-profit, non-governmental organization. It implements various educative projects in the areas of Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Folklore, Art History, Restoration and Conservation of artefacts and monuments, Fine Arts and Theology with participation of students, scholars and volunteers from all over the World. Balkan Heritage Mission is to support study, protection, restoration and promotion of sites, artefacts and practices belonging or related to the cultural heritage of South-Eastern Europe.